Highlights
- ADP is an HR software that automates payroll by handling tax calculations, deductions, and direct deposits while ensuring compliance with tax laws.
- ADP offers payroll solutions for small businesses (under 50 employees) and larger companies with different service tiers.
- ADP alternatives exist due to high costs, limited customization, inconsistent UI, weak support, and integration issues.
- Top ADP competitors offer diverse HR solutions, including Paismo, Rippling, Gusto, and more.
ADP has been a leader in payroll processing for many years, offering a wide range of tools to streamline payroll operations. But is it the right choice for every business?
In this article, we’ll discuss ADP’s payroll services and compare them with its top ADP alternatives to help employers find the best fit.

Join the HR Pulse Community
Get expert insights, HR news, and practical advice delivered weekly. Join our community for exclusive content and live events
What is ADP Payroll Software?
ADP's HR software helps businesses save time by automating tax calculations, deductions, and direct deposit payments. It also ensures compliance with federal, state, and local tax laws while allowing payroll administrators to process payments via phone, web, or mobile app.
ADP offers different payroll solutions based on company size: one for small businesses with up to 49 employees and another for companies with 50 or more. The platform also provides various service tiers, including an "Enhanced Payroll" option that adds garnishment services and unemployment insurance management. Beyond payroll, ADP includes HR tools like time tracking, background checks, onboarding, and benefits administration. However, many businesses might choose ADP alternatives for various reasons.
Why Consider ADP Alternatives?
While ADP is popular, it may not fit every business best. Here’s why you might explore ADP alternatives:
- Cost: ADP’s pricing can be too high for small businesses.
- Customization: The platform may not be flexible enough for enterprise needs.
- User Interface: Inconsistencies can arise due to third-party acquisitions.
- Customer Support: Some users find ADP’s support lacking.
- Integration: ADP focuses mainly on payroll, which can lead to integration challenges with other systems.
Fortunately, several ADP alternatives offer solutions that better fit specific business needs: affordability, customization, ease of use, support quality, or seamless system integration.
5 ADP Alternatives To Consider
Paismo
Paismo is one of the ADP alternatives, an all-encompassing HR management platform designed to streamline various human resource functions.
Features:
- Core HR Management: Efficiently manages employee data, organizational structures, and compliance tracking. A centralized HR system streamlines these processes, ensuring data accuracy and facilitating efficient workforce management.
- Performance Tracking: Offer employee performance management metrics, facilitating regular reviews and goal setting. This tool helps to set clear, measurable goals, conduct performance reviews, and implement development plans to address areas for improvement.
- Time and Attendance Management: Automates timesheets, overtime, and attendance patterns. It helps you record work hours, calculate overtime, and analyze attendance trends, reducing manual errors.
- Recruitment: Streamline, organize, and enhance your hiring process so you can concentrate on building great teams. This tool also ensures a consistent and fair evaluation of all candidates, which can lead to better hiring decisions. Additionally, a well-structured process enhances the candidate experience, making your company more attractive to top talent.
- Leave Management: Simplify the process of leave requests, approvals, and balance tracking. By simplifying leave management, employees can quickly request time off and receive timely approvals, which reduces stress and uncertainty.
- Biometric Device: Boost productivity by integrating your attendance machine. Track employee hours, calculate overtime, and streamline payroll processes.
Pricing:
- Standard HR Tech: $2.49 per employee per month.
- + Enterprise: Contact sales for customized solutions.
Gusto
Gusto is a cloud-based HR and payroll platform designed to simplify employee management for small and medium-sized businesses in the United States, also considered as one of the ADP alternatives.
Features:
- Payroll Processing: Automates payroll calculations, tax reporting, and direct deposits, ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local regulations.
- Employee Onboarding: Offers digital tools for seamless collection of work authorization forms and direct deposit setups.
- Time Tracking: Includes tools for monitoring employee hours and managing paid time off, syncing directly with payroll.
- Compliance Assistance: Automates necessary filings and provides resources to help businesses comply with evolving tax laws and labor regulations.
Pricing:
- Simple: $40 per month plus $6 per person.
- Plus: $80 per month plus $12 per person.
- Premium: $180 per month plus $22 per person.
Rippling
Rippling is the best platform that unifies HR, IT, and finance data and workflows in a single system, paving the way for time-saving automation. Rippling also comes in line with ADP alternatives.
Features:
- HR Management: Centralizes employee information, onboarding, and offboarding processes.
- IT Asset Management: Manages company devices and software access for employees.
- Finance Operations: Oversees expenses, reimbursements, and financial reporting.
- Automation Capabilities: Automates routine tasks such as onboarding workflows and compliance checks.
Pricing:
- Starting Price: $8 per employee per month.
BambooHR
BambooHR specializes in HR functions for small to medium-sized businesses, offering user-friendly interfaces and comprehensive reporting tools, that make it on the list of ADP alternatives.
Features:
- Time Tracking: Records employee hours, manages time-off requests, and ensures accurate payroll.
- Benefits Management: Administers employee benefits programs and open enrollments.
- Hiring and Onboarding: Facilitates applicant tracking, candidate evaluations, and seamless onboarding.
- Performance Management: Conducts performance reviews, sets goals, and tracks progress.
- Reporting Tools: Generates detailed reports on HR metrics, compliance, and employee data.
BambooHR offers customized pricing based on the specific needs and size of the business. Interested parties are encouraged to contact BambooHR directly for a personalized quote.
Paychex
Paychex excels as an ADP competitor by offering comprehensive payroll and HR solutions tailored for small to midsized businesses with personalized support.
Features:
- Payroll Processing: Automates payroll calculations, tax deductions, and direct deposits.
- Time Tracking: Monitors employee hours, overtime, and attendance.
- Benefits Administration: Manages employee benefits, including health insurance and retirement plans.
- Hiring and Onboarding Tools: Streamlines recruitment processes and new employee onboarding.
- Reporting and Analytics: Provides comprehensive reports on payroll, HR metrics, and compliance.
Pricing:
- Paychex Flex Essentials: $39 per month plus $5 per employee.
- Paychex Flex Select: $47 per month plus $3 per employee.
- Paychex Flex Pro: $95 per month plus $3 per employee.
- Paychex Flex Enterprise: Pricing upon request.
Become a part of the Paismo community
Paismo is an HR software that can help simplify your HR operations. In today's dynamic economic environment, efficient HR and automated payroll management are no longer a luxury but a necessity. Paismo is a comprehensive solution that transforms traditional HR complexes into streamlined and automated workflows. Paismo and its paired biometric device integration can be used for your business to mark employee attendance and record their timesheets accurately.
Paismo simplifies your tasks with its core HRMS, timesheets, and attendance management, as well as biometric attendance, payroll automation, and leave management system.
Take the first step toward modernizing your HR and payroll processes and explore what Paismo can do for you. Book a demo with our sales team.